Amazon Conversion Rate Optimization Masterclass by Anthony Cofrancesco of PickFu
Anthony Cofrancesco is the Industry Liaison of PickFu. He’s the previous owner of Virtuous Graphics, a marketing agency offering copywriting, graphic design, photography, and videography to Amazon sellers. He even worked at Amazon early in his career.
In this guide, you will learn some GOLDEN tips on how to increase the conversion rate of your Amazon products, thus boosting your ranking and overall PROFITS! Anthony is the EXPERT at this stuff and these tips will give you an UNFAIR advantage over the competition!
In this Blog:
What is Conversion Optimisation?
Product Design
Packaging
Photos
3D Renders
Lifestyle Images
White Background Images
Infographics
What is PickFu?
Anthony is a 26-year-old college dropout, who has visited over 50 countries and is now living full-time in Manila, Philippines. After working in Amazon for about 18 months, he quit and founded a creative agency called Virtuous Graphics.
He grew the company from 7 to about 20 employees before he exited in 2019. Anthony then joined PickFu, a company that is all about giving quick insights for customers’ feedback, which is of course an important tool for conversion optimization.
Now, let’s get started!
What is Conversion Optimization?
Success on Amazon comes down to 2 factors, Traffic, and Conversion.
Traffic is the number of people that come to your listing, that comes from your ranking. Whereas conversion is what comes right after – increasing the probability of people buying your product. And that’s what we’ll be focusing on today: boosting conversion rates according our Amazon Consultant Agency.
One thing that’s important to realize, as sellers, is that when your customers are shopping on Amazon, a lot of them are distracted.
Many often have this expectation that customers are generally focused when they shop (as seen on the right in the picture below). But in reality, they’re quite preoccupied. Many are tired from the day, some have their kids running around in the background (picture on the left).
As a seller it is your job to convince the shopper, in the least amount of time possible, to buy your product. You need to grab their attention, convince them that this product – your product – is what they are looking for, and finally add that product to the cart.
The shopper needs to see that your product is what they were looking for and that it’s going to solve their objective problem. Therefore, your customer really has 2 options:
To help understand capturing your customers’ attention better:
The goal of this product (a Vinturi V1010 aerator) is to add more air into the wine, making it taste better. To sell any product you would have to move your customer down an ‘Awareness Funnel.’ This is the progression the customer is going to go through before they ultimately buy a product.
As seen in the picture above, when most people look for a product they are going to be ‘problem aware’ – They know that they have a problem and they are looking for a solution, in this case, it’s to make the wine taste better.
A little down the funnel is someone who is ‘solution aware’ – They already know what the problem is, they’ve done some research and they figured the solution, i.e a ‘wine aerator.’
At the bottom of the funnel, they are ‘product aware’ – they already know about the product – Vinturi V1010 aerator – and are looking for it.
Now when people are shopping on Amazon they’re either going to be solution or product aware.
If they are solution aware, they need to know if your product is the solution to their problem. And if they’re product aware it’s more on a comparative basis against top brands, they need to know your product and brand is better, special.
Now, there’s only one way, you as a seller, can to that and that is to:
This all just comes down to one thing – the quality of your listing. You need to be asking yourself – What is the visual appeal? Does it make sense? And lastly, is it clear?
Three factors impact your conversion rate:
Price
Reviews
Listing Quality
In this guide, we’ll be focusing on Listing Quality. When it comes to price and reviews, the factors are constantly changing, and specific to reviews they could easily be manipulated. Comparatively, the reason why listing quality is so powerful is that:
Listings are quite visually powerful, and even more so as the human brain is a massive “graphics processor.”
Every single second your eye are open it is processing visual information, and it is consistently deciding what to do with that information.
Think about the 60 seconds to 5 minutes you have to convince the customers that your product is the right decision for them. Going back to listing quality, you can imagine just much more powerful it would be than a couple of numbers or a single worded review.
People tend to ask, what is a good conversion rate for a listing? To that Anothiny recommends the below scale:
Now, 2020 has been a very strange year, because all of these other brands and companies have got out of business. You’ve seen brands like Pier 1 Imports and Victoria Secret drastically drop investments into brick and mortar stores.
For Amazon sellers, you may be thinking ‘but Victoria Secrets hasn’t gone out of business… ’ while that is true, one thing is sure, no one in the company is this meme right here:
In fact, it’s the exact opposite. These legacy corporations are putting an immense amount of effort into their online presence (specifically Amazon). Taking all this into account, Anthony predicts a different scale for conversion rates in 2020 and the years beyond, one where there is a massive uptake in conversion rates:
Although this may seem like a high feat, Anthony has seen people achieve the 65+% band. With more people paying attention to visuals it becomes more plausible; taking into account a good quality listing and the awareness funnel, you are giving the customer everything they need to put your product into their carts.
Anthony states that convection rate is probably the most important metric. Now that’s not just because it increases your direct sales, but it’s also because it lowers ACOS and improves your ranking in the Amazon algorithm (conversion rate is a high factor for Amazon ranking).
Product Design
Branding
When it comes to branding it has to be two things, logical and simple. For example the Nike logo, it’s one we’re all pretty familiar with, but did you know it was bought for just $35?
With the only requirements being the name ‘Nike’, fluidity, speed, and motion. As you can see in the picture below the progression of the logo throughout the year followed that dynamic, being simple and logical.
When you create a logo, Anthony states that all you need is a very clear text and a related icon, as you can see in the examples below:
What you don’t want to do, at least when you’re starting off, is go for something that is overly complex. Because it can be risky and expensive. As you can see in the images below:
While these are fancy and give a good image, it’s important to remember not to overthink or complicate your logos, because a lot of the time people won’t get it.
One complaint Anothony often hears is that you only have one shot with designing a logo. To that he says, that’s simply not true. As you can see in the picture below, Helium 10 recently changed its logo, and nothing changed – no one stopped shopping there, or canceled their subscription; the transition was very smooth.
Anthony states that in the end, a brand should be clear and logical. As you can see in the images below, in a poll for logo choice for a natural line of wooden furniture, people prefer Option A over B. The logo had clean, premium lettering and a logical icon that conveyed exactly what the brand was about – organic wood.
Product Packaging
Use Text
Anthony states that one great tip when it comes to packing is to use text explaining what the product is. Now Amazon’s Terms of Service does not allow you to use text on your main image but what you can do is put text on your packaging. For example, looking at the example below, looking at the left you may not understand what the product is, whereas to the right you get a clear understanding.
Having that text draws customers to your product on a subconscious level as their clear solution.
Another product example. This is an Odor Eliminator, in the rebranding they changed the text to highlight what the product is over the brand name (option to the right), and people were automatically more drawn to it.
The text should be used to your advantage, to not only help increase click-through rates but your conversion rates as well.
Vibrant Colors
Product packaging helps catch the eyes of your customers’. As you can see in the picture below, these two product designs are almost identical, but the option on the right is more vivid and eye-catching.
Thinking back to a customer’s perspective, scrolling down the website, which image does your eyes gravitate more towards?
The option on the right.
This is another example, almost identical in packaging but with a small color change, the option on the right is more dynamic and drawing. As you can see, it’s heavily more preferred than option A.
Small changes like this can make a huge difference not only on your conversion rate but in your click-through rate. Imagine if you’re running this advert all day, which one is going to get more clicks?
Eco-friendly Packaging
Printing complex designs on recycled cardboard can be a very light print, Therefore make them simple and clean to help them stand out more. Now, if you want a more dynamic print, something more vivid but eco-friendly, you can:
As you can see they look like polybags but they are actually created out of cornstarch, making them sustainable and eco-friendly, while giving you the complex packaging design you want.
Cardboard wraps
When it comes to bulky items (as seen in the picture above) most sellers try stuffing them into boxes. However, that decision may not be smart, a box makes the product bigger than it needs to be, and increases your dimensional weight and packaging costs. Whereas cardboard color wraps work wonders, they’re still scannable and lightweight; with just a clear plastic bag to wrap the packaging is both visually appealing and cost-effective.
Metallic Wraps
When it comes to premium or giftable products, having a little extra for the package just makes them that much more appealing. Anthony does not recommend this for every product, but when the difference between metallic elements and regular packaging, it becomes a worthy option for those special products.
How to Design your Product Packaging?
Focus on the outer packaging itself
What Anothony recommends is to have the following on your packaging:
DJI does a great job when it comes to packaging, according to Anthony it’s one of the most impressive ones out there. You not only see what exactly the product is on the front, there’s technical information on the back, there are visuals on the side but when you open it up every signal competent is wrapped with careful instruction on how to assemble each.
Incorporate visual factors
There’s a lot of different visual factors you can incorporate to see what exactly it is the customer is looking for.
Bonus Items
This is a flaw Anthony sees with a lot of new sellers, bonus items often don’t pair well with the original product. A good way to explain this is to look at the pictures below, on the is a webcam which is sold with a privacy cover. That makes sense; it serves as a protection.
Whereas the leggings (picture on right) comes with fitness bands. This does not have any added benefit, how would a fitness band make the leggings function any better?
Customers are starting to see through these tactics more and more. It’s important to ask the question – do these items actually help the product function better?
Multi-pack items
This is a huge factor that can affect your conversion rate. A previous client of Anthony’s launched an eco-friendly product that came in a 25 multi-pack, and it didn’t gain much traction. It was a new product, that would be a great potential cash cow, but they didn’t know what quantity the people wanted it in. You see consumers actually wanted it 100 packs, not 25. Therefore, it’s really important to get the correct quantity to avoid any future costs of repackaging.
Photography
With photography the number one tip is:
This is the maximum allowed. Anthony advises working with your photography team or creative agency to make this happen. The real goal is when you zoom in (hover over) you should not see any grainy texture. It should be very clear.
If you zoom in and your pictures don’t look like the one above, go back and try to put in the maximum pixel size until you reach the file size for the main image.
Main Image
Product in use
In terms of your main image, it’s important to show your product in use.
As you can see in the images below, the one on the left shows a picture of grocery bags laid out, and on the right is the same but it’s in use. It clearly shows you’re getting 10 items, a feel of the size and durability, and lastly, the image is visually more appealing.
The reason the second image is so effective is that it shows the product in use. Think about your customer, they’re distracted and are looking for an item, what’s going to attract them more?
Now there’s some confusion about putting props into your images. Many believe it’s not allowed. That is only partially true, there are multiple versions of the TOS, depending on if you’re logged into seller central or public on the web, etc. What Anthony has found that the direct wording in the TOS is:
Now from previous experience, the biggest thing Anthony has learned from Amazon is that they are trying to be the biggest customer-centric company in the world.
And the reason why Anthony is so confident in encouraging people to push the boundaries of the TOS can easily be seen looking at Amazon brands. The brands that are specifically owned by Amazon are technically breaking some of these set rules. And it makes sense as to why
The picture above is from Pinzon (an Amazon brand). They are 2 different versions of the same listing. Option A is proven to be significantly more preferred – people see the design, the appeal more than Option B.
Using ‘props’ won’t get you into any performance issues, however, if you do make sure to use SOP friendly language when talking to your account manager.
One thing to keep in mind, however, when showing products in use don’t be too confusing. In the first example of a tote bag:
Looking at all the accessories, the customer can get confused about what is included (bonus item) and what is not. Whereas, going back to the original example (grocery bags) no one is going to wonder if they get the vegetables as a bonus.
Visual appeal
With Option A, it’s simple and basic, but with Option B, you’re giving more context and it’s visually appealing.
Another example that may confuse you, but the goal here is to convey the most direct and concise visual message to the customer.
Option C clearly shows the customer exactly what they are getting with the multi-pack, hence why it’s the most preferred option out of the 3.
Use Models
If you have a wearable item, show it worn. As you can see in both examples the image on the right clearly shows the customer what the product is. Don’t make the customers assume what to expect, make sure to show them that this (your product) is exactly what they are looking for. Here’s another example to help show the difference of using a model:
Inclusions
If you have these product inclusions or bonus items like the Car Vacuum above, allow the brain to easily digest it. Looking at the option on the left, it can be a little confusing as to what the product clearly does and includes. Whereas Option B, the customer can see exactly what they are getting.
Make it clear as to what exactly is included with the main product, look at the picture below for example:
Now, Option A works well too, but the inclusions are much more clear in Option B. Not only can you see the case, the attachments, but also important parts of the product, like the LED screen.
Specific Categories
For example, if you’re selling anything in the baby category, show a baby. Anthony stresses how important this aspect is, you don’t want the mother to wonder, is this product actually for babies?
As you can see in the picture above, Option A leaves no room for questions, it’s clearly a product for babies.
Ambiguous Products
Props help clarify the use of the product. So if you just saw Option A (as it is) you may be very confused as to what the product is for. Whereas, with Option B, you know it is a Cereal Separator.
Decals on the Main Image
One thing Anothony urges you to pay attention to in TOS is to be careful with “clickbait” decals. Use them when needed and appropriately, as seen in the picture below:
If you just use decals with the sole reason to draw in someone’s eyes, Anthony states they don’t hold much value and should be thought over before publishing.
One he first started selling on Amazon everyone used to put on a sticker that says ‘2 pack’:
The reason why this was effective, had very little to do with the product and quantity, but because it made the image stand out, specifically the Amazon logo, would catch your eye.
That being said, Anthony does stress that today’s decals should be with intention. Amazon now looks at decals to evaluate which are relevant, and which are just for attention. Like the example below, the decals actually help the customer make an educated decision:
Now compared to the “2 pack” decal from before, you can clearly see in the image that you get 2 types of cords. Whereas with the image above, the customer won’t be able to easily make out the difference between the 10 and 12 packs.
Another piece of advice is to use semi-transparent to show additional attachments. This also applies to various options, like color. As seen in the image below, you as a seller won’t have enough space in the listing title to mention the colors available, therefore a decal of the options (like Option A and C) would convey the message to the customer with ease.
Focus on the Key Product
One last tip Anthony has for the main image of your listing is to:
As you can see in Option A, you can see the connection type and what it does. Whereas in Option B, you can’t entirely be sure.
3D Renders
Anthony states that 3D renders have a lot of potential, and value especially for plastic or steel products like the Rolex below:
Now, this picture is a 3D render, and it looks better than the actual image. Here (below) are more examples of how using a 3D render adds more to the listing, especially as the main image:
In fact, PickFu held a survey to test which would do better as the main image, the actual product, or a 3D render. 3D renders actually won by an overwhelming amount (in certain categories). To know more in detail about using 3D renders in your listing, check out Anthony’s Masterclass, but in short:
Lifestyle Images
Foreground vs. background
One huge point of advice from Anthony on lifestyle images is to:
Think about what the focus of the shot is, not the environment. In fact, he even says “focus on the foreground and photoshop the background” like the picture above. Not only does it save costs, but also time and effort invested into the image. It doesn’t really matter, but the foreground actually gives the customer context on the product, here is another example on an aesthetic scale:
That being said, you need to keep in mind how the customers see the product in real life. For example look at the image below, the picture on the left focuses on the product, but the image on the right is more appealing because it shows the product from the customer’s point of view or the typical angle the customer will see it at.
Color Scheme
Another thing that’s very easy to use is a monochromatic color scheme for lifestyle shots.
It’s one of the cheapest options for the main image, you could probably use a simple photo editing tool or really basic backdrops. Basically using a flat color background really makes the product pop as you can see in the products on the left (picture above).
Picture Scenarios
Especially with lifestyle images or an infographic, allow the customer to visualize the product in different scenarios, like the workout band example to the left (picture above). This helps the customer see themselves using the product, or being the solution to their problem.
Using Props
Looking at the picture above, the image on the right might be interesting but, logically, why would a ring be sitting on a leaf? When it comes to lifestyle images, you want them to be stylish and intentional, like the pictures below:
Using Photoshop
Photoshop is a great tool, and often people use them the wrong way. When it comes to this, Anthony’s states that:
The above pictures are great examples of photoshop, they look clean; you would never know that the phone or stars were photoshopped in the pictures (right and left, respectfully).
Anthony states that the general rule of thumb is that:
Color Variants
Having all the colors on a single image is very valuable, as it takes away the opportunity of the customer getting distracted or uninformed.
White Background Images
A simple tip for white background images:
When it comes to a fashion product (like the one on the left), Anthony advises not to get creative on the image gallery, but to instead simply show a 360 of the product on individual images, and maybe add one creative lifestyle image at the end.
However, when it comes to a product of function (like the image on the right), it won’t be as valuable to show a 360 of the product on a white background. Instead only have the main image on a white background, but every other image should have graphics, text, and information:
Infographics
There are three basics strategies for infographics:
Bullet points – Generally individuals on Amazon’s only read till the third bullet point, and when they do they’re going to skim.
Therefore, you’ve got to keep the 3 images after the main images in mind. Those are the ones that should convey the biggest objections that promote the product.
Stick to one concept – Don’t overwhelm the customer.
The 5-second rule – make sure the image conveys the needed image within the first 5 seconds.
To get a better understanding look at this image:
The right image conveyed a clear understanding of the product at first glance. Whereas the image on the left is giving the customer multiple ideas; now, while this can work in some scenarios, Anthony recommends being direct. That way, you convey the necessary information within the first 5 seconds of looking at the image.
Comparable graphics
Back in the day, this used to be used by almost every seller, but thankfully today people don’t often add this into their listing. Instead of comparing multiple points of comparison focus on one, and make that into a very simple graphic; don’t overload information into the customer, it is not as effective today as it used to be.
Sizing graphics
This shows the customer exactly what to expect from your product, and removes chances of being misled, or confused.
Eco-friendly Products
A lot of people tend to use infographics of the straw on the right, that state “Say no, Save the turtles.” When compared to a Tesla, people aren’t only buying it as an eco-friendly alternative, they’re buying it for the style, speed, and performance of the car. Therefore, Anthony states to use quantifiable data; say “the average person saves 1000 straws per year by using our product” instead of “save the turtles.”
Feature + Benefit
Explain exactly why this feature matters to the customer. Take the pictures above, for example, each feature is paired with a benefit, making it easy for the customer to see just how much value it brings to the product.
Testimonials
According to TOS, you are not allowed to put reviews in your images, but Anthony states that you can instead quote reviews to combat frequent questions and concerns (as seen in the picture above).
Be simple
Both of the images on the top are trying to explain the pairing function of their wireless earphones. Now, Option A looks busy, there’s so much going around in the background which can confuse the customer. Whereas, Option B, is very clear and to the point.
Wrap up
Some last-minute advice to help set of the best listing possible:
Metamorphosis
The concept of combining a human and an animal allows for some more dynamic concepts. The above image is for a mattress, that conveys the message to rejuvenate your energy.
Retro Futurism
If you’re selling a new, technical product, show the product with more retro concepts. It makes your brand look like ’wow they put some real thought into this’.
Don’t only use high fashion models and shots, if you can use normal people and shots. People, today, are liking the simplicity approach more and more.
3. Use normal people
Quick tips:
When it comes to copywriting stick to the first 3 bullet points, and your leading words. As you can see (image below), the words that start your bullet points are the ones the reader pays most attention to, especially when they skim through them. Optimize them in a way that conveys the needed information.
For video, use the PSI checklist. Don’t overcomplicate your video ads, think of them as moving infographics.
For A+ content, focus on mobile-optimized layouts. Approximately 70% of Amazon traffic is mobile, so make sure they cater to the perspective.
If you want more information on the topics above, feel free to contact Anthony.
PickFu
PickFu is a way you can get real customer feedback very quickly, and get it down to your target demographic based on age, ethnicity, hobbies, etc. They help you take a more dynamic approach, so your Amazon business can experience greater success. Unlike normal A/B tests that take 2-4 weeks, PickFu takes about 1 hour.
And the best part is, not only do you get the preferred option but also the reason why your target demographic chose that response. You get detailed feedback that looks like this:
A lot of companies have reached unimaginable milestones through PickFu, one of them being Thras.
PickFu did a case study for them, where they brought Angry Orange for product packaging optimization. And with their help, Thras was able to bring up the valuation of Angry Orange from $2 to $20 million.
You can check out this video on PickFu’s youtube channel to hear more:
If you’re interested to use PickFu use this coupon to 50% off your first test!
